Master Surname Index



Sally Ride

Ancestry of
Sally Ride

1st American Woman in Space


Who was Sally Ride?

Sally Ride was an American physicist and astronaut. In 1983 she became the first American woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Challenger. She also became the youngest American astronaut in space at the age of 32, a record she still holds today. Sally Ride was also the only person to participate on both committees that investigated the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters.

In 2011 Sally Ride was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died just seventeen months later. In 2013 President Barack Obama posthumously awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

Famous Kin

Sally Ride has a relatively close family connection to the actor Steve McQueen through their shared ancestors of Thomas McQueen and his wife Sarah Vaughn. Sally Ride also appears to have royal ancestry. The late William Reitwiesner claimed that Sally Ride was a descendant of Joseph Richardson and Elizabeth Bevan. Mr. Reitwiesner shared Joseph Richardson's parents Samuel and Eleanor Richardson as common ancestors with Ms. Ride. Unfortunately Mr. Reitwiesner did not give any evidence to support this claim which is why it is marked as “probable” in the Famous Kin charts. It is through Elizabeth Bevan that Sally Ride can claim royal ancestry.

False Claim

Mary Dugan is the probable 5th great-grandmother of Sally Ride. Some of Mary Dugan's descendants have claimed that Mary is the daughter of Jeremiah Dungan and Deborah Drake. This appears to be false as Mary Dungan is said to have married Abraham Vanhorn and not Joseph Richardson. Mary was Abraham's first wife and died before him as he remarried after her death to Mary Van Sciver.


Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for Sally Ride

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Parker Stevenson

TV and Movie Actor

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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Parker Stevenson

TV and Movie Actor

21st cousin
via Sir Warin Trussell

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Ali Wentworth

TV Actress and Comedienne

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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Seth Low

Mayor of New York City
President of Columbia University

15th cousin 5 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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William Woodbridge

2nd Governor of Michigan

13th cousin 7 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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George Winston

New Age Pianist

20th cousin
via John of Gaunt

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Ben Jealous

President and CEO of NAACP

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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Angela Y. Davis

Civil Rights Activist
and former Black Panther

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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Hal Holbrook

TV and Movie Actor

21st cousin
via Sir Warin Trussell

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Hal Holbrook

TV and Movie Actor

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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Douglas Trumbull

Film Special Effects Pioneer

18th cousin
via James Touchet

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Douglas Trumbull

Film Special Effects Pioneer

18th cousin 2 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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James C. Jones

10th Governor of Tennessee

13th cousin 7 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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Geena Davis

Movie and TV Actress

21st cousin
via Sir Warin Trussell

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James C. Jones

10th Governor of Tennessee

13th cousin 7 times removed
via Edmund of Langley

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Steve McQueen

Movie Actor

16th cousin 4 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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Steve McQueen

Movie Actor

16th cousin 4 times removed
via Edmund of Langley

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King Charles III

King of the United Kingdom

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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King Charles III

King of the United Kingdom

17th cousin 1 time removed
via James Touchet

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King Charles III

King of the United Kingdom

21st cousin
via Sir Warin Trussell

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Anne Heche

TV and Movie Actress

19th cousin 1 time removed
via John of Gaunt

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Anne Heche

TV and Movie Actress

19th cousin 1 time removed
via Edmund of Langley

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John Taylor Gilman

5th Governor of New Hampshire

13th cousin 7 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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William Marsh Rice

Founder of Rice University

15th cousin 5 times removed
via John of Gaunt

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Dr. H. H. Holmes

Serial Killer aka “Devil in the White City”

16th cousin 4 times removed
via John of Gaunt

View entire list of famous kin for Sally Ride

Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. As with any good genealogical research, if you discover a link to your own family tree, consider it a starting point for further research. It is always preferable to locate primary records where possible. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources.